Dry cooler vacuum jug



April 18, 1950 J, c, ZQLOT 2,504,916

DRY CQOLER VACUUM JUG F'il ed Nov. 26, 1948 IN VEN TOR.

' JACQUES C.ZOLOT Patented Apr. 18, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DRY COOLER VACUUM JUG JacquesQ; Zolot, Elizabeth, N. J. Application November 26, 1948, S er ial No. 62,079

The present invention relates to a dry cooling device suitable for cooling wine bottles or the like, and which may be alternatively used as a vacuum An object of the present-invention is toprovide a cooling device for bottles of wineorother beverage, using ice as a coolant, which will nevertheless keep the bottlesdry,

Another object isthat the bottle shall be instantly and directly available at all times.

A further object is that the device shall be capable of sustaining comparatively rough usage, to the extent at leastthat'no particular amount of care need-be exercised in removing the bottle therefrom andparticularly in returning the bottle thereto during use.

Still another object is that the parts of the device shallbe jointly self-conforming, so that deformation of' a metal, part will be compensated by extension or compressionof the sealing memher which alsoactsas a shpcl; absorber every time the bottle isreplaced during use.

A very important object of the invention is'that it may be used as a vacuum jug for containing hot or cold liquids.

A related object is the provision of a vacuum jug having aspigot and free. of the difiiculties which have heretofore been encountered in manufacturing a vacuum jugprovided with'a spigot.

In accomplishing the objects of the present invention, athermally-insulating; container is enclosed in a casing, and aflexible, resilient sealing member is inserted in the mouth of thecontainer, the eaang engaging the sealing member exteriorly of the engagement between member and container. The seal member is annular, and a heat conducting tube is inserted snugly into the mouth of the seal member, extending partially into the container. The tube has an exterior flange which limits its downward motion. A siphon tube extends from a point inside the container and near the bottom thereof, through the seal member and downward between container and casing to a point below the bottom of the container, and thence extends through the casing, having a valve at its outer end. A

In use, the container is partially filled with ice, salt, and water, and the tube is then inserted into the seal member and pressed down until the flange engages the seal. A bottle may now be cooled without being wet by being inserted into the tube. It is in this position readily available and may be removed instantly. A great advantage of the construction is that the bottle may be replaced without great care, for instance it '7' Claims. (CL. 62- 1 2),

may hit the bottom of-the tube rather viol ntly without damagin the device, as the shock is transferred by the flange to the resilient seal member. Thecooling solution may be dranedby mqans'of the valve.

By-removing thetube, the device may o used as a Thermos jug for hot orcold liquids. The opening in-the seal member-is-in this event closed byacork;

Othenobjects of this invention w ll i art be obvious and part hereinafter pointed out. The invention accordingly consists in the fe tures of construetion combinations of elements and arrangements of'parts which will be exemplified in the constructions hereinafter described. Inthe accompanyingdrawing, in which is shown one of; the various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention Figurel is an axial sectional viewof the device.

Figure 2 isafront elevational-view thereof.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, the dry-cooler vacuum jug Ill comprises the casing H surrounding the vacuum container 12 which i conventional; double-walled construction, the air being exhausted fromthe space between the walls. It isunderstood'that anyother thermally insulating construction may be used; The container l2 issupported by the ring l3 and concentrically positioned within the cas ng I I by the ring lithe rings l3; l4, and seal ring l5 being of rubberor other flexible material.

The annular seal member l5*has a substantially uniform inner cylindrical surface It and three outer circumferential surfaces l1, l8; l9. Surface l'l engages the opening 20 of casing H; surface l8 extends between casing and container 12, and surface l9 engages the opening 2| of container l2.

'Seal member l5 further comprises the rigid metallic portion 22, extending annularly around the outside top circumference of the member, and firmly connected thereto by the pins 23 extending radially inward to the inner circumference of member l5.

A cylindrical tube 24, open at the top and closed at the bottom, fits snugly into member I5 and extends partially into container l2. A flanged ring 25 is firmly connected to tube 24 and in operative position of tube 24 and seal member l5 engages seal member I5 so as to transfer thrust pressure thereto. Tube 24 is of heat conductive material.

A siphon tube 26 extends from a point near the bottom of container l2 and interior thereof through seal member l5 and downward between container l2 and casing II to a point below container l2, extending thence through casing I I and terminating in a valve 21.

In the operation of my device as a dry cooler, container I2 is partially filled with water, ice and salt, and tube 24 is then placed in the illustrated position in seal member I5. A bottle 28 may now be placed within tube 24 and is instantly available and will soon become chilled. It is evident that bottle 28 will not become wet by the solution in container l2 and that therefore the serving of chilled beverages will be much simplified and expedited.

An important feature of my invention is that when bottle 28 is replaced in tube 24, it may be dropped and allowed to hit the bottom of tube 24 with the force of gravity, the shock being absorbed by seal member IE to which it has been transferred by flanged ring 25.

' Another feature of my invention is that the cooling solution may be conveniently drained from container l2 by means of valve 21 of siphon tube 26. It is understood that siphon tube 26 must be completely filled with liquid before it can operate, and this can be accomplished by opening valve 21, while the jug I is tipped steeply upwardly therefrom and before tube 24 is inserted. Once tube 26 is filled it will operate according to familiar siphon principles.

The apparatus of the invention has an equally important use as a vacuum jug for the storage and transportation of hot or cold liquids. When the device is so used, tube 24 is removed and the opening of seal member I5 is closed by an ordinary cork, not illustrated. Heretofore manufacture of a vacuum jug with a spigot for evacuation of the contents of the container has not been practical, due to the difiiculty of leading a pipe through the double glass walls of the conventional vacuum container without destroying the vacuum between the walls. The present construction provides a simple, efiicient and cheap solution to this difiiculty.

invention, and as various changesmight be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. In a jug, the combination with a container and a casing surrounding said container, said container and casing being formed with substantially central openings in their top portions, of an annular flexible seal member located in said openings and substantially concentrically positioning said container in said casing, and a pipe extending from a point substantially at the bottom of said container and interior thereof, through said seal member, thence between said container and said casing to a point below said first mentioned point, and thence through said casing.

2. In a jug according to claim 1, said seal member comprising three outer circumferential surfaces, one of said surfaces engaging the opening of said container, another of said surfaces engaging the opening of said casing, and another of said surfaces extending between said container and said casing.

3. In a jug according to claim 1, said seal member comprising a rigid portion extending around the outside top circumference thereof, and means connecting said rigid portion to the body thereof.

4. In a jug according to claim 3, said means comprising pins extending from said rigid portion substantially radially inwardly to the inner circumference of said seal member.

5. In a bottle cooler, the combination of a jug according to claim 1, said container being constructed of thermal insulating material, and a tube of heat conductive material, said tube being closed at the bottom, open at the top, and fitting snugly into said seal member and partially extending into said container.

6. In a bottle cooler according to claim 5, said tube comprising means for transferring thrust pressure to said seal member.

7. In a bottle cooler according to claim 6, said means comprising a flanged ring firmly connected to said tube and engaging said seal member in the operative position of tube and seal member.

JACQUES C. ZOLOT.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Fiedler Mar. 2, 1915 Number 

